Learning objectives
a. Knowledge and understanding. The course aims to learn the basic knowledge to build three types of plans (start up, business plan, internationalization) relating in particular to:
- the definition of the target market and the estimated demand for a start up;
- the evaluation of the performance of an existing company and the consequent internal and external strategic analysis;
- the choice of the foreign country for internationalization, the identification of the strategic market, the definition of competitive positioning.
The course also aims to acquire the ability to capture the sources of the business idea for a start up, to understand the factors that determine the performance of the company, to grasp the potential of foreign markets.
b. Ability to apply knowledge and understanding. During the course, the student has to build a concrete business plan and this allows him to develop the ability to apply the acquired knowledge and understanding.
c. Making judgments. Building a business plan for a start up or development / internationalization of a particular case, the student acquires the autonomy to evaluate what tests perform, what tools of analysis use and what adjustments make to use them in the different situations.
d. Communication skills. Each student is expected to develop the ability to express in writing, effectively and with appropriate terminology, the essential elements of a business plan for aimed to the management, to financial intermediaries and financial partners.
e. Ability to learn. With the followed didactic approach, the course aims to pursue learning not only during classes but mostly with the individual processing of the plan, so that the student learns by building a original business plan.
Prerequisites
The course is recommended for students of the first year of "Laurea Magistrale" in Firm Administration and Management.
Course unit content
The course focuses on building the business plan for both start-ups and for existing businesses. The course aims to provide students with the institutions and the tools necessary for the preparation of the business plan.
The course is divided into two parts.
The first part consists on classroom lessons, during which, after brief mentions on strategic management and its formalization in business plans, it describes the structure and the purpose of the different types of plans. Each type of plan is examined in its specificity.
The second part of the course is devoted to the compiling of individual business plan according to the structure shown in classes. Each student has to analyze an original case of start-up or in a real business case for the development in the domestic or foreign market. During this part the student has a continue assistance of the teacher.
Full programme
Part One
-The strategic management.
-The business plan and the types of business plans.
-Analysis of market supply and demand.
Part Two
-The preparation of the plan.
-The business plan for a start-up.
-The determination of business objectives.
-Definition of the strategic business and estimation of the specific application.
-Formulation of corporate strategy.
-Operational planning management.
-Preventive control of the business plan.
- The business plan for the development.
- Analysis of the business situation and the focus of the main problems.
-Strategic analysis and verification of business model business.
-The development of corporate strategies.
-Operational planning.
-The preliminary assessment of the economic and financial development plan.
- The business plan for the internationalization.
-The description of the company and its development problems.
-The analysis of the reference market.
-The mode of internationalization.
-The resources needed.
-The economic and financial forecasts of the internationalization project.
Bibliography
For the examination:
- Slides of the lectures, by the teacher, Parma, 2012
- C. Parolini, Business planning, Pearson, Milan, 2011.
For consultation:
- RM Grant, Strategic Analysis for Business Decisions, il Mulino, Bologna, 2011
- Borello O, the business plan, McGraw-Hill, Milano, 2009.
Teaching methods
The teaching consists of lectures and the individual elaboration of a business plan.
Assessment methods and criteria
Learning will be assessed by two written final tests: an institutional one (10/30 points) and a one on the business plan (20/30 points).
The institutional test will assess, by three open questions: - the knowledge and the ability to understand the problems of management (valued up to 5 points) - the ability to communicate with appropriate language (valued up to 5 points).
The business plan test will be assess both the ability to apply knowledge (valued up to 10 points) and the autonomy of judgment and learning ability (valued up to 10 points).
Other information
The institutional lessons are provided in the first module of the first semester. The educational activities will continue in the second part of the second half to draw individual plan.
